New Beginnings
by purplestarz2006
Summary: Wicked. Sequel to Strength Five years after Elphaba, Fiyero, and Glinda graduate from Shiz, Oz begins to change in ways they cannnot ignore.
1. Chapter 1

New Beginnings

A.N. Hello again! I present to you the sequel to "Strength". I hope you enjoy.

Fiyero paced up and down the hallway of the home he, Elphaba, and Glinda shared. Behind the door at the end of the hall, he heard Elphaba's painful cries and Glinda's attempts at being motivational.

"Come on, Elphie! Just a little more! It's almost here!"

He sighed, and settled back down on the window seat. He had been evicted from the room earlier by Glinda, with the reasoning that his nerves wouldn't do much to help Elphaba. He tried to calm his nerves by looking at the beautiful day outside. Indeed, it was a lovely day in Kiamo Ko, where the three of them had lived since graduating from Shiz. Now, it was five years later and, with the exception of the size of Elphaba's stomach over the more recent months, not much had changed since they moved into his family's old summer home. They all found work wherever they could. Elphaba provided care to any wounded or sick Animals that she found. Glinda had become a "fashion consultant", meaning she gave random people makeovers just as she had done to Elphie back in their dorm room. It didn't make too much money, but as long as Glinda was happy the other two didn't care. Fiyero didn't really need to work, with his background and all, but every now and then he would build a piece of furniture and sell it. He had become more of the housekeeper, and more recently had devoted himself to taking care of his pregnant fiancee.

Fiyero and Elphaba had decided to get married about a year ago, but when they discovered Elphaba was pregnant they put the wedding plans on hold until the baby was born.

_The baby..._

Fiyero's mind once again returned to the screaming coming from the door. It was getting louder, and Fiyero wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Glinda's coaching was getting louder, too.

Then, the screaming stopped. Fiyero held his breath, hoping to hear just a little bit of noise to let him know what was going on.

Just then, the door opened. Glinda stuck her head out and waved for him to come inside.

Inside the room, he saw Elphaba in the bed, holding their baby in her arms. She looked up, and smiled at him.

"Hey, Yero. Come meet your new daughter." She extended her arms a bit so Fiyero could see the baby. She wasn't green, nor was she Fiyero's color. She had a very light skin tone, much like Nessa's skin. Fiyero assumed that, had Elphaba's mother not consumed the elixir, than Elphaba's skin would have been the same. The baby opened her eyes, and Fiyero's influence in her became apparent. The eyes were almost identical.

Glinda, who was hastily preparing a makeshift cradle to be used until Fiyero finished building the crib (the baby had been early), spoke up. "Does she have a name yet?"

Elphaba and Fiyero looked at each other, then at the baby. "Well, I'm stuck. Elphie, you got anything?"

Elphaba stared down at the baby for a moment before answering "Vanessa. Vanessa Rose."

"Aww, how sweet." Glinda said, lining a basket with several blankets.

Elphaba then handed Vanessa to Fiyero, and gradually drifted off to sleep. Fiyero sat on the bed, holding his new daughter. "This is too easy." he thought. "Something has to go wrong here." But nothing did. He handed Vanessa to Glinda, who went about the task of putting her to bed, while he laid down next to Elphaba and slept.

A.N. Well, how was that for an introduction? Please review.


	2. The Journey Begins

New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't Wicked. The only original character is Vanessa.

_Four months later:_

Elphaba sat on the couch in the living room, her four month old daughter on her lap. Glinda was sitting next to her, dangling a toy over the baby. Over the past few months, it had been discovered that each member of the family had a unique talent with Vanessa. Fiyero was exceptionally good at getting her to eat. Elphaba's singing voice was perfect for getting her to sleep. And in the hours between feedings and naps, aunt Glinda was an expert at keeping her entertained. They made a good team, the three of them. Still, there was something missing.

The more Vanessa grew, the more she resembled her real aunt, the one she was named for. Vanessa's demeanor was just like Elphaba remembered Nessa's to be as an infant. Not that she could remember much, being that she had only been a year or two old. But she did remember that Nessa had always needed to be the center of attention, a quality she saw in her own baby. Elphaba had been thinking of Nessa quite a bit lately. She had kept in contact somewhat while still at Shiz and during the first year or so after graduation, but Nessa must have gotten the hang of being the governor because her letters asking for advice had dwindled over the years.

Later on, after singing Vanessa to sleep, Elphaba turned to Fiyero who was lying on their bed.

"Yero, how old does Vanessa have to be before she can travel?" she asked. She wasn't sure Fiyero would know the answer either, but it was worth a shot.

"...I'm not sure. I'd think a few more months, at least. Maybe less, though, being that it's the warm season. Why? You're not going anywhere, are you? You can't leave me alone with Glinda! I don't think I can take it..."

Elphaba laughed. "Relax, Yero. I was just thinking that maybe one of these days we should go to Munchkinland again. You know, go see Nessa and introduce her to her namesake."

"What's this sudden interest in your family all of a sudden? You've barely mentioned Nessa over the past five years. Plus, if you remember, the last time we were in Munchkinland we weren't exactly welcomed with open arms."

"I know, but that was five years ago. She is my sister, and she's the only real family I've got."

Fiyero sighed. "Well, let's talk to Glinda about it in the morning. If we go anywhere she has to go with us. She's the only one who can make that daughter of ours smile."

Elphaba smiled. "Her aunt was the exact same way. She would only smile or laugh around me."

The next morning, Elphaba brought the subject up during breakfast. Well, her and Glinda's breakfast anyway. Fiyero always ate a little bit earlier or later, as during the meal he was in charge of feeding Vanessa. Glinda wasn't to crazy about the idea, at first.

"Go back there? Are you crazy? The last time we went there, I got shot! Why don't you write Nessa and have her come here?"

"Glinda, you know that would never work. She wouldn't be able to get into a cab, or out of one, and even if she could she's a political figure. She can't just up and leave like that."

"But Elphie, I don't want any of us to get hurt. We're finally happy. Why do you want to risk that by going all the way across Oz? It would be a longer trip than the one from Shiz, you know."

Elphaba hadn't thought about that. The journey from Shiz to Munchkinland had taken only two days, but a journey there from Kiamo Ko could take up to two weeks, depending on the route chosen.

Glinda sighed. "Look, Elphie, obviously this is important to you. And you're right, Nessa does deserve to see her new niece. But at least write her first, and let her know we're coming."

"Thanks, Glinda. I promise, this trip will be much better than the ones we went on at Shiz. It's already under better circumstances than the last time we went there."

And so, preparations began for what became affectionately codenamed "Operation Family Reunion". Elphaba wrote to Nessa announcing their arrival, Fiyero began to put together a "travel kit" for the baby, and Glinda ran around the house grabbing everything she thought anyone might need along the way.

A week later, the three of them began loading up the cab they had rented. This time they had opted to drive the cab themselves instead of opting for a driver. It was Fiyero's idea. "The trip will be shorter if we don't have to stop as much. This way, we can just rotate when one of us needs to sleep." he said. It sounded logical, and besides, it meant that there would be more room in the back of the cab. Fiyero's "travel kit" actually consisted of just about every baby care item they owned, and took up quite a bit of space.

And so, the three of them began their long journey to Munchkinland. Fiyero took the first turn driving, leaving Elphaba and Glinda in the back with Vanessa. Glinda set about her duty of entertaining the baby.

"This is going to be some trip..." thought Fiyero

A.N. Well, there's chapter 2. I hope everyone is enjoying this so far. Thanks for the reviews.


	3. Overheard Conversations

New Beginnings

Their journey started out calm enough. Actually, it was a bit too calm. Vanessa had fallen asleep after five minutes, and now Glinda and Elphaba were both extremely bored.

"Fiyero!" Elphaba called out to the driver's seat. "How long have we been driving?"

"About two hours. It's about noon now." he answered

"Where are we?" yelled Glinda

"How am I supposed to know? I don't think we've left the Vinkus yet. I haven't seen any signs that we're anywhere else."

About half an hour passed before Elphaba spoke again. "Fiyero, can we stop and get something to eat?"

Although Fiyero wasn't crazy about the idea of stopping so soon into their trip, he had to admit that he was hungry as well. He found a small diner along the side of the road and proceeded to dismount from the driver's seat.

Thankfully, Vanessa still hadn't woken up, so for the time being they didn't have to worry about having a crying baby in a restaurant. They walked in and sat down at one of the small tables and began to peruse the menu selections.

As Elphaba was trying to figure out a way to hold her child and her menu, she overheard the conversation at the next table, a man and a woman.

_"So, did you hear about the Wizard?"_

_"No, what is going on? Everyone seems so...frazzled._

_"Apparently, he's on his way out. He's getting old, well, older than he already was. His health's not so good anymore, either. Anyway, he doesn't have much longer left."_

_"That's too bad. Any word on who will take over?"_

_"Well...there is this rumor, but I shouldn't..."_

_"No, no! Tell me, please!"_

_"Apparently, the Wizard has a daughter. Some affair like 25 years ago, back when he first got here. The woman's dead, but the daughter is still alive somewhere. And they say that he's trying to find her. _

Elphaba's eyes widened. She quickly handed Vanessa to Glinda and motioned to Fiyero to come outside with her.

"I thought you wanted to eat." Fiyero said once the two were outside.

"Fiyero, did you happen to hear the conversation going on next to us, did you?

"No...what were they saying?"

"They were talking about the Wizard, and how he's apparently on his way out. And how he might have a _daughter_..."

"They didn't happen to mention that this supposed daughter was green and then turn and point at you, did they?

"No."

"Well then, I think we're pretty safe. Let's just go eat and then continue with "Operation Family Reunion", shall we?" Fiyero wasn't in the mood to be panicked at that moment. He and Elphaba went back into the diner and ate, though Elphaba did so with a nervous look on her face.

_Meanwhile, somewhere in Munchkinland..._

Nessa wheeled herself down the wide hallways of the governor's mansion. In the years since her departure from Shiz, she had become much more self-reliant than ever before. She now lived alone, without as much as a housekeeper, although the offers for help never stopped pouring in. However, she turned them all down. She had sworn to Elphaba that she would be able to run Munchkinland on her own, and she had no intention of doing anything but that.

As much as her estrangement from Elphaba hurt, she now saw that Elphaba had done the right thing. In the first few years of her reign as governor, she had realized that maybe this wasn't the best job for an 18-year-old to have. She often found herself writing to Elphaba for advice. But as time went on, she became better at her job and found herself writing less and less. Still, she did miss her sister. She often wondered what ever became of her, and of Glinda and Fiyero as well.

She wheeled herself to the front door and collected the pile of mail that arrived every day. She quickly sorted through it; most of it consisted of letters from various angry citizens complaining about one problem or another. The last letter caught her attention. It was in a bright green envelope, and sealed with gold. She recognized the letter as being from the Wizard's palace, just like the one Elphaba had gotten years ago. She opened the envelope and read the letter.

_Dear Governess Nessarose Thropp_

_Your presence has been requested at the Gathering of the Ozian Leaders, to be held in approximately one week's time, to discuss the plan of action following the Wizard's eventual and inevitable passing. It is imperative that all provinces are represented at this gathering, as many crucial decisions are to be made. The Wizard also would like to see all the leaders individually during the gathering._

_Travel arrangements have been made for all leaders to and from the Emerald City. Please be assured, Miss Thropp, that all precautions have been made to make all areas accessible to you. _

Nessa couldn't believe what she had just read. The Wizard was dying? She was more than willing to travel to the Emerald City, of course. She actually had never been there, as she had been mourning her mother when Elphaba had gone. Nessa quickly went to pack some bags. If the conference was only a week away, her journey would have to begin within a day or so.

Back at the diner, the three travelers had just finished their lunch. Vanessa had woken up and began to cry, so Fiyero had taken her outside as not to disturb the other patrons, leaving Elphaba and Glinda alone at the table.

Glinda moved into the chair that Fiyero had previously been occupying. "Ok, Elphie. What's going on?"

Elphaba was confused by the question. She thought she had done an excellent job of hiding her nervousness about the conversation she'd overheard earlier. "What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to deter her.

Her attempts were unsuccessful however. "Come one, Elphie. I can tell something is wrong. What is it?"

Elphaba knew that their was no use in trying to hide this from Glinda. She quickly turned her head, after verifying that the people she had overheard were still there, whispered "I heard those people talking about the Wizard and how he is on his way out. There's this rumor going around that he wants his estranged daughter to take over for him."

"Well, I really don't see the problem.", Glinda whispered back. "As long as nobody knows that you are that estranged daughter, you've got nothing to worry about. Besides, it's not like we're going anywhere near the Emerald City anytime soon, anyway.

"You may want to hold that thought." Fiyero's voice came from behind them. "I was looking at the map while I was outside, trying to find a shorter route, and I found one." He handed Vanessa to Elphaba and laid the map out on the table. He traced a path with his finger, outlining the route he had found. The route went straight through the Emerald City.

A.N. Yes, I know it's been awhile. I've been busy with college application stuff lately. I'll try to have the next one up as soon as I can.


	4. The Journey Continues

Disclaimer: Except for Vanessa, I don't own these characters.

Ten minutes later, Fiyero and Elphaba sat hunched over the map. Elphaba was determined to prove to Fiyero that there was, in fact, a way to get to Munchkinland that didn't involve going through the Emerald City. Glinda had been given the job of entertaining Vanessa, and was doing so inside the cab. Elphaba was determined to find some alternate route that Fiyero had missed.

"There is no other way, Elphie. This is the shortest route possible."

"Oh, come on Fiyero. There has to be some other way." Elphaba stared at the map, but the longer she stared at it the more apparent it became that ther ewas no secret route and that Fiyero was correct. She slumped by the side of the cab. "Fiyero, why didn't se see this before? I can't go back there. I just can't!"

Fiyero slumped down next to her and took her in his arms, not caring about the odd looks they were getting from people entering and exiting the diner. "It's going to be alright" he whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you while we're there. We won't even get out of the cab."

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero. She knew he was right. This was the fastest way to go. She knew that opting for a longer route wouldn't be good for her baby, who was still a bit young to be making this kind of journey. They had to make this trip as short as possible and the only way to do that was to return to the place where her world had come crashing down years before.

She stood up and took a deep breath. "You're right. There really is no way around this. But we're not stopping there. We drive straight through, ok?"

Fiyero pulled her into a hug. "Of course. Everything will be just fine, you'll see."

Meanwhile, the coach had arrived outside of Nessa's home in Munchkinland and her own journey had begun. Unlike her sister, she was excited about her destination. Of course, the idea of Oz losing its leader saddened her, but she was sure whoever was chosen to replace him would be more than qualified.

"And hopefully this leader won't be quite as promiscuous" she said to herself. The truth was, the Wizard's condition saddened her only because of the sadness she knew it would bring to the Munchkins. Although she had to publically side with the Wizard to keep the peace, ever since learning of his affair with her mother she had been doubtful as to whether or not he was truly the best leader for them.

Her thoughts about the Wizard and his affair led her to think of Elphaba. She wondered what had become of her sister since they lost touch. She didn't even know where she was living now, so even if she wanted to pick up contact again she wouldn't be able to. Even though she was sure that this kind of anonymity was just what Elphaba wanted, she wished that she could see her sister again. She had been thinking of her more and more lately. Maybe it was because Elphaba was the only family she had left. Nessa had become quite lonely in the past year or so, since Nanny had died two years before. That was when she had stopped writing to Elphaba. She just couldn't bring herself to tell her sister that the woman who raised them both was dead. Not that Nessa really needed to be cared for anymore. She lived alone now, although being the governor didn't allow much time for socializing. As the coach continued towards the Emerald city, Nessa slowly drifted to sleep, hoping that the journey would be over by the time she woke up.

Meanwhile, Elphaba had been desperately trying not to think about where they were going. At the moment, she was counting the trees that they passed. 43, 44, 45…

"Elphie?"

Glinda's voice broke Elphaba's concentration on tree-counting. At first she was upset, but then she remembered that she didn't really want to be counting the trees anyway. "Yeah?"

"I think someone is finally ready for a nap." Glinda said, handing Vanessa to her mother. "It's about time. I've been playing with her for awhile."

Elphaba smiled, glad to have a distraction from her own thoughts. She took the baby in her arms and began to rock her as she hummed softly. Usually, this would put the child to sleep in minutes. However, this time she calmed but remained wide awake.

She glanced over at Glinda, who had taken the opportunity to have a nap herself, before looking back down at Vanessa. "I'm sorry I got you into this, sweetie" she whispered. "I'm sorry I got everyone into this. I don't know what I was thinking. You're too little to be doing this. And now we have to go back to that…that place. I'm just so glad you're not old enough to remember this. Vanessa, if you ever have a little sister never loose touch with her, ok?"

Of course, the baby didn't answer. However, her eyes had begun to close as Elphaba was speaking. Elphaba sighed, and resumed looking out the window. She wasn't sure what possessed her to take this trip. Common sense would have dictated that they either write Ness announcing the baby's birth and then make the trip in a few years. But her heart had won over common sense, and her heart needed to see Nessa. She wasn't sure why, but she just felt that something was wrong. Something bad was happening again, but she wasn't sure what it was. And out of all the people she knew, Nessa would be the one to know.

A.N. Yes, I know. It's been a really long time. But between college application stuff and the holidays I had no time for anything. I'll try to be more prompt with the next one.


	5. Nightmares

New Beginnings Chapter 5 

_One Week Later:_

Elphaba stared out the window of the cab, just as she had been doing for the past week. She had long ago lost count of the trees they passed. Glinda was sleeping next to her, and Fiyero was driving. Despite the agreement that they would all take equal shares of the drive, Fiyero had been the navigator for much of the trip. Not that Elphaba and Glinda were unwilling to help; it was simply that Vanessa rarely needed to be fed while the cab was moving. Entertaining her and getting her to sleep were much more common tasks in the back of the cab, one of which Elphaba had just completed.

Elphaba fell asleep soon after her daughter. It was all she could do to escape her thoughts, although her dreams that night provided no relief. She was tormented with nightmare after nightmare, replaying the scenario that happened in the Emerald City years before. In her dreams that night, however, she saw herself not as a college student but as her adult self, as if the scenario was happening to her for a second time all these years later. The drunken man, the pain in her arm and leg, the feeling of helplessness, all of it was the same. The only thing that had changed was her.

At about midnight, Fiyero was pulling the cab to the side of the road when he heard whimpering in the back. He hopped out to see what was wrong, expecting that Vanessa had stirred as she was now accustomed to do at midnight. However, when he opened the cab door he realized that the source of the sound wasn't Vanessa. Elphaba was talking in her sleep, and from the sound of it her sleep wasn't all that peaceful. Carefully, he lifted Vanessa from her mother's arms, careful not to wake her. He knew that Elphaba could become quite active when she had nightmares, and he didn't want the baby to be hurt.

He then noticed Glinda sleeping on the other side of the cab, blissfully unaware of what was going on no more than a few feet away from her. At least, she had been blissfully unaware until now. Not knowing what else to do, Fiyero walked to the other side of the cab and carefully nudged Glinda's shoulder. She stirred but didn't completely wake up, as if she was trying to deny the existence of whatever force was disturbing her sleep. Fiyero was persistent, though, and kept nudging her until she was completely awake.

"Fiyero, if you want me to drive this is a really bad time…"

"No, Glinda, it's not that." Fiyero motioned to Elphaba. "She's having a nightmare, and I need you to hold Vanessa in case she starts to act it out."

Glinda nodded and extended her arms to take the baby. "Try and wake her up and take a walk with her or something.", she said. Sharing a room with Elphaba had taught her some strategies for dealing with situations such as this.

Fiyero walked around the cab again, this time nudging Elphaba's shoulder. "Elphie…Elphie…wake up, Elphie" he whispered.

Elphaba woke up a bit startled, and it took her a few moments to realize exactly where she was.

"Fiyero, I….I was back…it was happening again. All of it." Although Fiyero couldn't be 100 percent sure of what "it" referred to exactly, he made a guess that Elphaba had experienced a flashback to being attacked years earlier. He slowly embraced her, and began to rock her from side to side.

"It's ok, Fabala. It was only a dream. Come on" he said, taking her hand. "Let's take a walk. Glinda will take care of Vanessa for awhile."

As Elphaba followed Fiyero, she glanced back to see Glinda holding Vanessa in her arms. She couldn't help but think of what a terrible mother she was. She was supposed to protect her child, and yet she had to leave her small, helpless baby because she had been woken up by a nightmare. Needless to say, it did little to help her emotional state.

The two wandered until they came to a small clearing, about six or seven minutes from the road. Fiyero sat by a tree, and held his arms out inviting Elphaba to do the same. Elphaba settled into his embrace again, resting her head against his shoulder.

"What's wrong with me, Yero?"

"Wrong with you? Nothing's wrong with you, sweetie. You just had a nightmare, that's all. It happens to everyone."

Elphaba shook her head. "But why am I so paranoid about everything? It's been years since all that stuff happened, but I'm still having nightmares about it. I know that we will all be fine, I really do. But I'm still…it's like my mind and my heart are telling me two different things, and my heart is winning."

"Elphie, that's ok. It's actually quite normal. I understand that this is hard for you but believe me, it will all work out. Nessa is going to love her little niece."

"Why did we do this?" Elphaba asked, snuggling even closer to Fiyero.

"Because you miss your sister…and so do Glinda and I. Nobody can blame you for that."

Fiyero expected a response, but none came. The two of them stayed like that for a long time, until Elphaba had fallen asleep in Fiyero's arms. Fiyero gently lifted her up and carried her back towards the cab, careful that the movement wouldn't wake her up. When he reached the cab, he placed her inside next to the already sleeping Glinda and climbed back into the drivers seat to continue their journey.

Meanwhile, Nessarose was experiencing a nightmare of her own, only she was wide awake. Her trip to the Emerald City had been a bit shorter than her sisters, being that she didn't have an infant to tend to along the way. At the same time Elphaba and Fiyero were having their heart to heart in the woods, she was being driven into the Emerald City, and was frightened by what she saw.

Although the Wizard was not yet dead, at least to her knowledge, the city had erupted into a violent chaos. Nessarose assumed that, with their leader being in the condition that he was in, the citizens had no real order anymore. As the cab drove down the streets, occasionally pausing as groups of people ran across, Nessa tried to look for patterns that could indicate exactly what all the chaos was about.

There seemed to be two main groupings of people who were making themselves known. One group seemed to have never liked the Wizard to begin with, and were gladly celebrating his demise by burning bonfires in the streets and running amok in the city. They seemed to be promoting the idea that having one so-called superior outsider ruling Oz was ridiculous and the Wizard should be replaced not by one leader but by several citizens from within the city. The second group rejected this idea, and was fighting back against the first group by…doing the exact same thing they were. Nessarose got more and more frightened as the cab ride wore on, and was relieved when she finally arrived behind the palace gates, where the chaos had yet to reach. A man was standing by the doorway, ready to greet her and assist her in getting out of the cab.

"Welcome, Governess. I wish we could have had you here under slightly more…pleasant circumstances" he said once Nessarose was out of the cab. "Let's go inside, the other leaders have already arrived and there is much to discuss."

A.N. I apologize for the terrible delay. Things have been kind of crazy for the past few months, and I had to take a break from a lot of things for awhile including this story. I will try to keep these updates coming faster, but I can't make any promises about time.


	6. The Confrence Begins

New Beginnings

A.N. Sorry for the horrible delay!

Nessarose wheeled herself alongside the palace official, who introduced himself as Georgon. She was impressed by the seemingly endless glittering green hallways, but concerned at the number of official-looking people walking in and out of them with worried looks on their faces. In case the violence in the streets hadn't alerted her to the fact that something was wrong, this certainly made it more apparent.

The reached a large door at the end of the hallway. Georgon opened the door, and the two entered a large convention room in which the biggest argument Nessarose had ever seen was taking place.

Three men in suits sat around a large table, one on each side. One end remained empty, obviously being saved for Nessarose. They were all standing, and shouting at one another, while a map of Oz lay on the table before them.

"How can you say this is fair? Your proposal will cut Vinkus land in half!" a dark-skinned man shouted.

"It's more than fair! The Quadlings have been discriminated against for too long in this country! It's time they were offered some compensation!" the man on the other side retorted.

"If we start to favor Quadlings now, it's reverse discrimination! I will not stand by and let you rob my people of their…" the first one pounded on the table as he spoke.

"What happened to fixing things in the Emerald City? In case you haven't noticed, those people are tearing the city apart out there!" the third man chimed in.

Georgon cleared his throat, and the three men looked up. "Gentlemen, I would like to introduce Nessarose Thropp, governess of Munchkinland." He directed Nessarose to her place at the table, and sat down next to the dark-skinned man. "Miss Thropp, this is Governor Rillings from the Vinkus," he said, gesturing to the dark-skinned man, "Governor Awksay from the Gillikin, and Governor Mirstine from Quadling Country." He gestured to the other two men, then began to roll up the map on the table.

"Now that all four of you are hear, I think we should get started on the real agenda of this meeting. This has _nothing_ to do with resetting the borders of Oz. The division of land among the various peoples will remain exactly as it is, have I made myself clear?" He looked from one governor to another as he spoke, implying that he was not very happy with the argument that had ensued.

The three governors nodded, and Georgon put a piece of parchment on the table. "Alright, on to the first order of business. The Wizard has asked to see each of you individually so that the decision made in this meeting are made with him in mind. Therefore, we will do the visits first. Governor Awksay, you're first. Come with me."

Governor Awksay left the room, and returned about five minutes later. Governors Mirstine and Rillings followed. None of them would speak about their visit, leaving the next in line clueless about what awaited them. As Georgon led Nessarose down the hallway, she began to get very nervous. After all, she knew about the Wizard's hand in her sister's creation, and about the curse he had left upon her in the form of her skin color. She wasn't sure how she would react once she came face to face with the man who caused her sister so much pain.

Once she entered the room, however, she knew that there would be no issue. The Wizard was obviously not in the greatest of conditions. He was bedridden, pail and struggling for breath. It was clear that he didn't have long left.

"Ah, Miss Nessarose. Come in, dear. Come in." he whispered, though Nessarose assumed that it was meant to be full voice. She did so, stopping her chair about a foot from the bed.

"It is an honor to meet you, sir." Nessarose began, but was cut off by the Wizard.

"Oh, don't bother with that. It's rather pointless now, isn't it? No, no. I need to speak to you about something very important. That meeting that you're going to today…they're trying to figure out who will replace me, right?"

Nessarose nodded. "Yes, I was told that was the main point of the meeting."

"I have a request to make of you. I need you to find Elphaba. Get her to come here. Or, at least tell the others about her and her relation to me. She's such a smart girl…she can fix all of this. I know she can."

Nessarose wasn't sure how to respond."Well, I'm not sure that's possible. I haven't had much contact with her after I became the governor and left Shiz. I don't even know where she's living now. And as I remember, you and Elphaba didn't part on the best of terms."

The Wizard sighed. "Yes, I know. I've always felt guilty about how that meeting went. But that's all the more reason for me to need to see her again. She is my daughter, and I need to make things right. Please, Nessarose. As a man's dying wish, could you find her for me? Even if she can't make it here…at least let her know that I'm sorry for everything."

There was no choice for Nessarose. It was the man's dying wish. She had to at least try. "Alright…I will do my best to find her" she said. The Wizard thanked her, and Nessarose slowly wheeled herself out of the room.

She paused for a moment in the hall. "How am I ever going to do this?" she whispered to herself. As she headed back towards the main meeting hall, she could hear the others arguing again. This was going to be quite a conference.

A.N. Once again, so, so sorry for the delay! I'm really writing these as fast as I can, but there's been some family situations lately and my school musical rehearsals have gotten pretty intense lately. (5 hours, 5 days a week) so I don't have as much time to put into this as I'd like to. I do plan on continuing this story, but I can't promise when updates will be.


	7. Unexpected Reunions

New Beginnings

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Nessarose's conversation with the Wizard didn't last much longer. His words began to fade, and soon he slipped back into unconsciousness. She wheeled herself out of the room and back towards the main conference hall. The other three leaders were already in a heated discussion about leadership divisions or some such thing. Nessarose spent the rest of the conference in silence, wrestling with her own mind. How in the world was she ever going to find Elphaba, never mind bring her back to the Emerald City and see the Wizard after what had happened years ago. It was impossible, and yet she had promised results.

Little did Nessarose know that her mission was almost one-third complete. While Elphaba, still exhausted from her nightmares, slept in the back of the cab Fiyero was driving up to the gates of the Emerald City. As much as he wanted to speed through the city, he had to slow down when he saw all the violence and destruction going on around him. He was almost paralyzed with amazement that an entire city could deteriorate that far. But, when a flying stone missed his head by about an inch, he realized that this was not an appropriate time to be reflective. He prayed that Elphaba wouldn't wake up in the middle of this.

But of course, his prayers went unanswered. About halfway through the city, Elphaba did wake up. It was rather unrealistic of Fiyero to hope that she wouldn't, what with all the chaos of the city. It didn't take Elphaba long to realize where they were.

"Yero, how much longer are we going to be here?" she asked, her voice still groggy from sleep and shaky from her apparent nervousness.

"We'll be out of here as soon as possible, don't worry." Fiyero answered from the driver's seat.

Elphaba stared blankly out the window. Vanessa was still sleeping in Glinda's arms, and Glinda showed no signs of waking up either. She didn't want to see any of this city, but at the same time she couldn't stop herself from looking at the destruction. How could people who once prided themselves on being the most civilized in Oz create such chaos simply because of their leader's sickness? After all, the Wizard was the leader everywhere, and nowhere else in Oz that they had been to so far looked like this.

Just then, Elphaba felt herself jerk forward-they had stopped unexpectedly. She leaned her head out the window to see Fiyero conversing with a man in an official looking uniform.

"Yero? What's going on?" she asked.

"He said the road is blocked. We can't go through this way."

Elphaba's eyes widened. "Well, then there has to be another way through. There is another way, right?" she said, shifting her frightened gaze from Fiyero to the uniformed man.

"Sorry. This road's the only way out of the city right now. We're working on clearing it, but for now you're going to have to find yourself some lodging for the night" the man replied, not looking a bit sorry at all.

Before Elphaba could say anything, Fiyero told the man that they would go find a place to stay and thanked him for his help. After they had pulled out of the man's earshot, Elphaba yelled to Fiyero again. "Yero, are you crazy? I thought you said that we weren't going to stay in this city."

Glinda, who had remained asleep through the encounter with the guard at the barricade, slowly woke up at Elphaba's yelling, as did Vanessa. While Elphaba put aside her frustration with Fiyero to comfort her baby, Glinda got a good look at her surroundings.

"Wow. This place has really gone downhill, hasn't it? It's a good thing we're getting out of here as fast as we can."

Elphaba interrupted her lullaby to Vanessa and informed Glinda that this was no longer the plan. "It seems Fiyero thinks it's a better idea to stay overnight."

Fiyero responded before being yelled at by Glinda as well. "Elphie, you heard the guard. There is no way out of the city right now. The most violent part of the city is right by the front gates. We're not going back there this late at night. We'll find a hotel, and tomorrow morning we'll go see if they cleared the road. You'll be fine, I promised."

"Yeah, well, you promised that we would drive straight through this city too, and look how well that one worked out." Elphaba said, turning her attention back to her child.

Fiyero didn't respond to Elphaba immediately. Instead, he allowed her to finish putting Vanessa to sleep while he searched for an inn. It wasn't an easy search, as most of the city's inns and hotels had been taken over by mobs and made into headquarters or holding areas. Eventually, he found a small inn very close to the city borders, which were blocked by an emerald green wall.

"Whoever designed this city was an idiot" thought Fiyero as he pulled the cab up to the inn. He hopped out of the driver's seat and went to the back door, to assist Elphaba and Glinda in getting out of the cab. Elphaba hesitated for a moment, looking from left to right several times before finally getting out.

Fiyero put his arm around her shoulder. "It's ok, Elphie. It's just an inn, like any other inn anywhere else in Oz."

Elphaba turned to face him. "We were shot at in an inn" she said. She looked up to the sky and said, under her breath, "I hope Nessa appreciates this."

Little did Elphaba know that the inn Fiyero had chosen happened to be hosting a certain gathering of leaders. In fact, one of those leaders was eating in the inn's built-in restaurant when she looked up from her meal to see three very familiar looking people enter the lobby. There was a short blonde girl, a tall man who looked to be of Vinkus descent, and a taller woman with…it couldn't be…green skin!

"Elphaba!" Nessa cried out, not caring about the scene she caused in the restaurant. She failed to get Elphaba's attention, but her shouting did elicit another sound…something that sounded almost like a baby crying. Elphaba looked down at something in her arms, then looked up again, this time fixating her gaze in Nessa's direction.

Nessa was relieved to see a smile spread across her sister's face. Elphaba tapped the man, who Nessa was now certain was Fiyero, on the shoulder and pointed towards her. By that point, Nessa was already halfway to the lobby. As skilled as she was at wheeling herself around, a wheelchair was by far one of the slower ways of moving about.

"Elphaba, oh, my…what are you doing here?" I thought you would never come back here ever again, what with…" It was at this point that Nessa noticed Elphaba was holding something to her chest, and that it seemed to be moving... "Elphaba, what is that?" she asked, pointing to the squirming bundle in Elphaba's arms.

"Well, Nessa, I guess now's as good a time as any…I'd like you to meet your niece, Vanessa Rose." Elphaba took the baby down from her chest and showed her to Nessa. "We were actually on our way to Munchkinland to introduce her to you." She gently place the baby into Nessa's arms, giving them a moment together.

"Oh, my….Elphaba, why didn't you write to me? I had no idea….did you two even get married? Oh, never mind. She's beautiful, Elphaba."

"Nessa, what are you doing here? I didn't think you were a big traveler." Glinda said, trying not to spoil the moment between Nessa and her niece.

"Actually…that's something I need to speak with Elphaba about."

A.N. And there it is. After a not-so-brief hiatus, the reunion scene that eluded me for so long. I know what you're thinking…it took over two months for that? Anyway, I seem to have more time to write here at college so hopefully there won't be any more big hiatuses soon. In fact, to get a glimpse into my new life, read my one-shot "Sleepless Nights", also in the Wicked section.


	8. What Goes Up

New Beginnings Chapter 8

A.N. Ok, let's be honest here. It's been a long time since I've updated this story. It's not that I stopped liking Wicked or I stopped enjoying writing-I still really love both. And believe me, I understand how frustrating it is to see a story go unfinished for months (actually, I think it's going on years with this one). It's just that with college, a job, and everything else that comes with real life I don't have as much time to write as I did back in high school, when I was writing "Strength" during my chemistry class. This chapter has been in various stages of completion for the past year or so. I still really want to finish this story, but I can't make any promises about a time frame.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Twenty minutes later, Elphaba and Nessa sat in Nessa's hotel room. Fiyero and Glinda had taken Vanessa to get settled in, giving the sisters some alone time. The reason for Nessa being in the Emerald City actually hadn't come up as they caught up on each other's lives.

"Elphie," Nessa began, taking a long pause to formulate the question as well as she could, "are you really alright with being here? I'd never expect you to come back to this city again after what happened to you here."

"To be quite honest, this was not my top choice for a stop. But the only road leading out of the city towards Munchkinland is shut down. We had no choice. What is going on with this city?" Elphaba wasn't sure exactly how much information her sister had about the city's fall, but since Nessa was a public figure that she would have at least a basic idea.

"That's actually the thing I needed to talk to you about. It's kind of why I'm here. You see, the Wizard…he's dying, Elphie."

To Nessa's surprise, Elphaba informed her that she already knew about the Wizard's poor health. "We overheard some people discussing it in a café on the way here" she explained.

"Well, he brought all the leaders in Oz together for a conference, to determine how it will be run once he dies. He had individual meetings with each of the leaders, and his request of me was that I, well, bring you to see him again."

Elphaba stared at her sister as if she had just told her the sky was pink. "You have got to be kidding me, Nessa. There is no way that I am going anywhere near that man…not after what he did…."

"Elphie, listen. Yes, he was a terrible leader and he didn't deserve his power at all. Yes, he did entice our mother into having an affair with him and thus cursed you with both discolored skin and enormous magical powers. But Elphie, he's your real father. You should at least go grant him his dying wish. After all, you did deny our, well, my father his…"

The mention of Frex's death struck a chord with Elphaba. She still felt incredibly guilty for both refusing to travel to say goodbye and preventing Nessa from returning in time to say goodbye herself. "You're right. I mean, it's not like he could really hurt me this time, could he? I already know all the secrets this time. There's nothing new to find out." Elphaba sighed. "I will go see him, but only because he requested it of you. I don't want to get you in trouble with your government friends."

Nessa laughed. "Believe me, they are not my friends. All they do is bicker about how land should be divided. I don't see why. It's pretty equal now. I don't think it could get any more fair than it already is. But that's all they seem to care about. It's a struggle to make any real decisions."

Elphaba's agreement to the meeting with the Wizard took Nessa by surprise, but caused her intense relief. With the burden off her shoulder, she spent most of the night talking to her sister, enjoying her company again.

She didn't end up getting back to her and Fiyero's hotel room until close to one in the morning. As she entered, the sound of her footsteps woke up Vanessa, despite her best attempts to avoid doing so. She quickly picked up the baby and attempted to quiet her down, but it was too late. She heard Fiyero's voice come out of the darkness.

"Elphie? Is that you?"

Knowing that if she didn't answer Fiyero would think her to be a robber, she quietly responded "Yes, it's me."

Fiyero sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. "You're just getting back now?" he asked, his voice not sounding a bit groggy.

"Nessa and I talked for a bit longer than I anticipated." Elphaba replied quickly before beginning a soft lullaby to get Vanessa back to sleep. Once the baby was quiet, Elphaba returned her to the bassinette and joined Fiyero in bed.

"So what did you and Nessa talk about?" Fiyero whispered, not wanting to wake Vanessa up again.

"You know, just…catching up. Except…" Elphaba wasn't quite sure how to tell Fiyero of the agreement she had just made.

"Except what?" Fiyero knew by now that when Elphaba's voice trailed off like that, it usually meant that she had bad news.

"Well, I kind of told Nessa that I would have another meeting with the Wizard while we're here." Elphaba braced herself for Fiyero's response, and was surprised at the ensuing silence.

After several moments, Fiyero broke the silence by sighing. "Elphie, are you sure this is the best idea? I mean, what made you change your mind so quickly? This morning you were dead set on getting out of here."

"Well, this morning my sister wasn't involved. He asked her to find me." Elphaba deliberately avoided answering Fiyero's question of whether or not she was sure this meeting was a good idea. "I already denied one father his dying wish. I don't want to do it again."

"It's his dying wish to meet with you"?" Fiyero asked. When Elphaba nodded, he continued, "Elphie, I think you should be really careful with this. I don't want you to be sucked into anything.."

"Yero, I'll be fine. I promise. I'm not going to be sucked into anything. He probably just wants to make his peace with me before he dies According to Nessa he's about five steps from death's door. I don't think he can really do anything."

"Ok, Elphie. If you're really ok about this, I'm not going to try and stop you. But I'm waiting in the lobby while you're in there." Fiyero knew better than to try and push the issue any farther.

Elphaba agreed to this, and the two eventually fell asleep, albeit not for very long. Vanessa was becoming quite the early riser, and she didn't like to wake up alone. Fiyero and Elphaba looked at each other groggily.

"She's hungry, Yero." Elphaba said, knowing that Vanessa being hungry fell under Fiyero's jurisdiction. Vanessa would only eat if she was being held by Fiyero.

Fiyero shook his head. "No, she's not. I just fed her a few hours ago." Fiyero's comment was met with a pillow being thrust against his head.

"You did not feed her a few hours ago, otherwise we would have woken up a few hours ago. Get up and feed your child!"

As Fiyero groggily shuffled over to the cradle, Elphaba rolled over and remembered what she had agreed to do. She briefly entertained the idea of backing out, but decided against it. She didn't want to let Nessa down now.

After Vanessa was fed and Elphaba and Fiyero were dressed, the parents dropped their baby off with Glinda and met Nessa in the lobby of the inn. It was a difficult task explaining to Glinda exactly what Elphaba was about to do, and an even harder task convincing her to let it happen. Only after being assured that Fiyero would be with Elphaba the entire time (which was technically only half-true; he wasn't sure they would let him be with her the entire time) did she let them leave her room. Once they met Nessa, they waited in the lobby without saying much until a cab with the Wizard's seal on the side pulled up in front of the inn.

The driver looked a bit confused as to why three people were getting into his cab. He didn't notice the color of Elphaba's skin, both because of the green glasses he wore and the fact that Elphaba had taken measures to cover all the skin she possibly could. While the driver and others who worked for the palace continued to wear the green glasses, some of the warring groups had given them up, seeing them as a symbol of the Wizard. Her skin would no longer blend in to everyone.

The ride to the palace was just as quiet as the wait in the lobby. Elphaba wished that someone would speak, just to distract her from the thoughts swirling in her head. Eventually, the palace gates appeared in front of them. There was no going back now.

"How am I even going to get in?" Elphaba asked Nessa, desperate for any conversation. "I'm assuming he's pretty well guarded."

Nessa nodded. "But I have this." She held up a small pendent that she was wearing around her neck. "This lets the guards know that I'm here for the conference. It lets me, and anyone else I'm with, past the guards. Just follow me once we get in there. Fiyero, follow me as far as you can, but they usually only let one person accompany me."

Fiyero and Elphaba shot worried glances at each other at hearing that news. "Why only one?" Fiyero asked.

"Well, I'm the only one who actually gets to bring someone else anywhere secure. The wheelchair, you know. I don't really need the help, but I'm allowed to have it."

Just then, the cab stopped. The driver helped get Nessa out of the cab and Elphaba and Fiyero followed. Elphaba gripped Fiyero's hand as she followed Nessa into the building.

The front hall of the palace seemed pretty deserted. In fact, Nessa lead Elphaba and Fiyero down several winding hallways before the first set of guards appeared. Nessa turned to Fiyero.

"There's a waiting area right over there. Anything past this point is a secured area. I'm afraid this is as far as you can go." Nessa wished that she could bring Fiyero in with her, but she was lucky in even being able to sneak Elphaba in.

Fiyero squeezed Elphaba's hand and whispered "I'll be right in there if anything happens. Don't worry, I know you'll be fine." He kissed her cheek and went into the waiting area as Nessa and Elphaba approached the guards. The guards didn't even question Elphaba's presence with Nessa and allowed the two to pass through.

Elphaba then realized why there were no guards through the first section of the palace. About every twenty feet or so, they were stopped by another set of guards. Each allowed them to pass, but Elphaba still found it a bit excessive. As they neared the Wizard's room, they guards became even more frequent and appeared in threes instead of pairs.

After passing through what must have been the 15th set of guards, Nessa stopped at a door. "This is it" she said, softly. "Go ahead and go in. Just take off your scarf and he'll know who you are."

Elphaba reached slowly for the knob, taking her hand back several times before finally opening the door. The room was dark, and smelled of disease and old age. The figure in the bed barely moved, and it took Elphaba a moment to determine that he was still breathing. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Who's there? What do you want?"

Elphaba entered the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Nessa in the hallway to wait. She removed her scarf from around her face, hoping the Wizard could see who she was in the dim light. Luckily for her, green skin is hard to hide even in darkness.

"Elphaba…you actually came back?" The Wizard reached up and turned on a lamp on his bedside table.

"Nessa told me what you asked of her." Elphaba replied. She wasn't quite sure what tone she wanted to use with the Wizard yet. On the one hand, he was the horrible man who had gotten her married mother pregnant, lied to all of Oz about having powers, and deliberately caused her discolored skin. But he was old, and he was dying.

"Yes, well, come have a seat, my dear. There's something I want to say to you."

Slowly, Elphaba moved to a chair a few feet away and sat down. She had a hard time looking directly at the Wizard, instead keeping her gaze just to one side.

"Elphaba…I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I can't say that enough. You are my only child, and my biggest regret in my life is that I never was able to help you. But I'd like to help you now. In my will, I am leaving you all of my wealth, as well as this palace and use of all the staff that live here."

"But if you put that…everyone will know that I'm…"

"Yes, everyone will know. You will finally get the life you deserve-the life I couldn't give you before."

Elphaba sat silently for a moment. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. She didn't want the truth about her relationship to the Wizard to be made public. Back at Shiz, this would have been her wildest dream-a blood relationship with the Wizard. But now that she knew who the Wizard really was. However, she also realized that the Wizard's offer held no conditions that had to be met. The money alone would ensure a better quality of life for her baby. But her and Fiyero were doing fine, weren't they?

Then she looked up and saw the Wizard looking back at her. Even if she hadn't been aware of his condition, his face would have given it away. His skin was extremely tight over his skull, and his eyes appeared larger than she remembered. He appeared small and weak, not the power-corrupted man that she remembered. He was obviously in no position to be intentionally vicious with what he was doing. He would gain no benefit. It occurred to Elphaba that this actually was an offer of reconciliation. Nessa's words from the night before replayed in her mind. She had already denied Frex's request for a reconciliation on his deathbed. Nothing good had come from that. How could she do the same to the Wizard?

She sighed. "Thank you" she said. "I greatly appreciate that."

The Wizard gave a weak smile. "I'm really so happy that you agreed to see me. It's my biggest regret, you know. Missing out on your life like I did. I always wanted to be a family man, to have children, and the only one I had was raised by somebody else."

"You did what you had to do. I understand, and for what it's worth I'm sure my mother understood as well." Elphaba wasn't sure what made her bring her mother into the conversation. She wasn't certain that her mother would have understood. She didn't even know that her mother knew who her father really was. But something about the Wizard's frail appearance made her want to give him all the consolation she could. Her sensitive, compassionate side, which had only become stronger since having her child, was coming out now. "Well, I should let you rest" she said, trying to give herself an excuse to leave.

"Alright" said the Wizard. "And thank you."

Elphaba smiled in spite of herself, mouthed goodbye and hurried out of the room to find Nessa still waiting outside in the hall.

"So how did it go?" Nessa asked quietly.

Elphaba paused, and then answered "It went better than I thought. He's leaving everything to me."

"Everything?"

"Yeah. His money, this palace, and use of the staff here."

"And you agreed? This means the secret's going to be revealed."

"I know. But I already denied one father his dying wish to reconcile with me. I just couldn't deny another."

Nessa immediately made the connection to her own words and nodded. "I guess you're right."

The two sisters didn't speak as they made their way back to the front of the palace. Fiyero, relieved to see Elphaba smiling after her meeting, pressed her for information as they walked back to their hotel, and Elphaba recounted her conversation.

"So he's leaving us money?" Fiyero asked, shocked that the Wizard would want to leave Elphaba anything.

"Yeah, and the palace, though I can't see much use for that. I have no intentions of moving here."

"Well, all I care about is that you are alright. Now we have to figure out a way to get out of this city and get Vanessa back home." Fiyero said.

Nessarose nodded in agreement. "I'm glad that you three made the journey to see me with the baby, but Fiyero's right. This is not a safe place for anyone to be, let alone my niece. And once the Wizard actually dies, it's going to get even worse."

Just then, a glass bottle whizzed across the street and just missed Elphaba's head, smashing against the wall behind her. "You're right. We really need to get out of here. But how? Those gates are going to be closed off..."

"Not if I pull some strings, they won't." Nessa interrupted. "I'll take you to the gates tomorrow morning and make sure you all get out."

Fate, however, had other plans. As Elphaba was singing her baby to sleep later on that night, she and Fiyero heard a massive uproar outside the hotel. As Elphaba tried to calm Vanessa down and Fiyero tried to figure out what was going on, Glinda and Nessarose burst into the room.

"Elphaba, I don't know how to tell you this..." Nessarose started before Glinda interrupted her.

"The Wizard is dead!" Glinda finished.

Elphaba and Fiyero looked at each other, well aware that they weren't going to be getting home anytime soon.

End Notes: I know, it's a cliffhanger. Don't worry, I'll be sure to have at least chapter 9 up in a decent amount of time so I don't leave you hanging too long.


	9. This Is Not Good

Elphaba stared at her sister blankly for a moment. "What do you mean he's dead?" she asked with panic in her voice.

"He just went a few minutes ago...everyone at the palace is still scrambling. Elphie...I don't know what this means for you..." Nessa's voice was just as on edge as Elphaba's.

"I know exactly what it means. We're never going to be able to get home, are we?" Glinda half whined, throwing herself on the bed.

"Not right away. They are planning to read the Wizard's will within the next two to three hours, and I doubt they will let you leave once they realize...who you are." Nessa looked at the baby in Elphaba's arms. "I'm going to go back to the palace-all the leaders are expected to be there for the reading of the will. As soon as I'm able to I'll come back and fill you in." She gently ran her hand across Vanessa's forehead before exiting the room.

"How do we keep getting ourselves into these messes?" Glinda's muffled voice came as she lay face-down on the bed.

"I just have a talent for it, I guess." Elphaba said softly.

The next few hours were filled with tension, as all three of them waited anxiously for Nessa to return. They tried to pre-occupy themselves with the baby, but she slept soundly. "She's sleeping through the night now..." Elphaba observed, not as joyous about the milestone as she would have liked to be. There was nothing to do but worry.

After what felt like an eternity, Nessa came back into the room. "Well, they read the will." she said.

"And?" Elphaba was impatient to hear the leaders' reactions to the Wizard's confessions.

"No one believed it at first. They couldn't believe their beloved Wizard would father a child out of wedlock and then abandon it. But, he did put in your full name and when they saw our surname, they realized exactly who you were. Like it or not, you've been a minor celebrity your whole life in Oz's political circuit. Everybody knew about Frex's green daughter."

"So what happens now?" Fiyero asked, speaking for the first time in hours.

"Well, right now you guys should try and get some rest. Tomorrow, I have to take Elphie to the palace and we'll see where it goes from there."

Needless to say nobody got any rest that night, except of course for little Vanessa. Early the next morning, Elphaba once again accompanied her sister to the palace, this time without hiding her skin. There was no reason for it now. The front gates of the palace were surrounded by groups of mourners, along with groups of...well, Elphaba wasn't sure what to call them. They hadn't been the Wizard's biggest fans, that's for sure. But could they really be so cruel as to be celebrating a man's death? Either way, she was relieved when Nessa directed them to a secret, side entrance out of the view of the spectators.

Inside, the palace was a flurry of activity. Guards and servants of every type ran around, narrowly avoiding each other, each with some urgent message or task. All of that stopped, however, when Nessa and Elphaba entered the room. Elphaba felt all eyes in the room settle on her-a feeling she remembered very well from her first days at...well, anywhere. She unknowingly reached down and grabbed Nessa's hand, and was jolted back into reality when she felt her sister squeeze back.

One especially intimidating guard stepped forward. "They are expecting you in the meeting room" he said to Nessa, not meeting Elphaba's eyes at all.

"Thank you" Nessa said, choosing not to comment on his rude behavior. She led the way down a corridor, now devoid of the guards that had been their on their previous visit, until they reached large double doors. While large, however, the doors could not have been very thick as Elphaba could hear every word that was being said inside.

"The Wizard having a child all these years? It's downright impossible."

"Although, that might explain why the girl was green."

"No wonder Frex hated the little thing so much."

None of these comments were surprising to hear, but it still stung to know that she was the target of gossip. Nessa threw the doors open forcefully, and all conversation stopped.

"Gentlemen, I have brought with me today the Wizard's only offspring in all of Oz-my sister Elphaba Thropp". Nessa put a great deal of emphasis on the word "sister", hopefully to warn the men of just what would happen if they didn't behave themselves.

The three men sat down in their appointed places. Nessa allowed Elphaba to have the fourth chair that would have been hers, and she wheeled herself in place next to it. The palace representative who had been running the meetings entered the room behind them and shut the door, making sure to lock it.

"Ahh, Miss Thropp." he said, his voice much more sincere and kind than any other Elphaba had heard that day. "I'm glad you made it. I trust that our other delegates have made you feel welcome..." He cast a disapproving glance around the room, well aware that the exact opposite was true. "Now then, let's get down to business, shall we?" The representative pulled a copy of the Wizard's will from the briefcase he carried. "Miss Tropp, er, Elphaba, is it? We at the palace were thrilled to find the Wizard's true next of kin. It's making our job in the wake of this tragedy much easier."

Elphaba was confused. "Why exactly is that? I thought I was just getting an inheritance, and that was all."

"Well, yes. The Wizard only specified that you be left his wealth, and the use of the palace." the representative said, quickly scanning the will once more. "However, Ozian tradition dictates that leadership shall be passed down through generations. You should be well aware of that, coming from the household that you do." He glanced at Nessa.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I was in line for the governess of Munchkinland myself...but I felt that my sister was better equipped for the task." Elphaba didn't feel like explaining the real reasons behind her refusal to take the position.

The representative seemed surprised, but continued. "According to the traditions of Oz, I would like to be the first to inform you that as of this moment, you are now the new leader of Oz, and are in complete control of the Emerald City and Oz in general."

Both Elphaba's and Nessa's mouths hung open in shock. "But...what about my family? I have a home in Kiamo Ko...I have a baby..." Elphaba stammered. She didn't often find herself at a loss for words, but if any situation warranted being speechless then this was it.

"Miss Thropp, I assure you that you and your family will feel most at home here in the palace. The guards and servants here will do our best to make you comfortable. Now then, we have to get things set up for the ceremony later on today. You may go back to your hotel and collect your family and your things. Be back here in two hours, and we will make the official proclamation to the people."

Elphaba wordlessly stood up as Nessa pulled herself away from the table, and the two of them exited the room.

"Nessa..." Elphaba said quietly as they walked towards the side door.

"Yes, Elphie?"

"...This is not good."

A.N. Yes, I know it's been awhile, but at least I didn't let a year go by this time. I do have an arc for this planned in my head now, so it's just a matter of finding time to write it down and write it well.


End file.
